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Segday on private land, as once in the best botanical gardens, you can find fruit plants from around the world. Felt cherry is not an exception; its photos and descriptions of varieties will help to get an idea of the culture and find a place for it in the front garden or garden in any region of our country.
Felt cherry - comes from the Far Eastern region: China, Korea and Manchuria. The plant owes its name to a well-marked whitish pile on the foliage, young shoots, petioles and even the skins of the berries.
A plant that is very different in appearance from the wild and cultivated varieties of cherries, known in Europe, was discovered in our country only at the beginning of the last century. Frost-resistant, easy to tolerate drought and abundantly fruiting shrubs interested scientists of the USSR.Work on the cultivation and purposeful selection of felt cherries were conducted in the Far East and in the center of the European part.
Already in the 30s thanks to the works of N.N.Tikhonova, I.V.Michurin and G.T.Kazmina at the disposal of the Soviet gardeners turned out to be about a dozen of frost-resistant fruitful varieties and a hybrid of felt cherry and sand cherry. Later varieties were obtained suitable for cultivation not only in the south of Primorye, in the Caucasus and other areas with a rather mild climate, but also in central Russia.
Features of the choice of felt cherries for different regions
Modern varieties of felt cherries, according to the descriptions and photos, are large-fruited, hardy shrub plants from 1 to 2.5 meters high, capable of producing up to 15 kg of sweet, useful berries.
Felt cherries are better able to cope with such dangerous diseases of stone fruits as coccomycosis and catastrophe. It is less susceptible to insect pests and more precocious than ordinary cherries. Already in 2–3 years, the field of planting branches of bushes are literally plastered with flowers first, and then with growing ovaries.
But with a lot of positive features, this culture has its weak points. It should be borne in mind that, compared with the usual cherry, its distant Asian relative has a shorter lifespan. Descriptions of varieties of felt cherries indicate that the maximum age of a shrub is 16–19 years. In fact, in the middle lane, after 8–10 years of landing, they need to be radically updated.
The selection of varieties of felt cherries for the Leningrad Region and other regions of the North-West region requires special attention. Here, due to frequent spring thaws, alternating with frosts, even the overwintering plants can swell under a dense crust. A similar situation arises when choosing a grade of felt cherries for the Urals.
Overwatering and a humid, not too warm summer pose a danger to the crop. During such periods, all stone fruit crops are at risk of being infected with moniliosis, leading not only to loss of harvest, but also to the death of the entire shrub.
If frequent precipitations are the norm for the region, the gardener will have to plant crops twice or three times with fungicides for the season, as well as constantly monitor the condition of the shrub, sanitary pruning, not forgetting dressing and removing fallen leaves and berries.
If you are planting a variety of felt cherries in the Moscow region or in another region with dense, acidic, not too organic-rich soils, you should pay attention not only to the ability to resist frost, but also to the requirements of plants to the ground. As a rule, the shrub grows better, it is more abundant and longer fruits on light, loose soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.
If the soil at the site does not meet the requirements of the plants, it is deoxidized and mixed with fertilizers, sand and peat at the planting stage. Then the procedure is repeated at intervals of 4–5 years. Feeding cherries spend annually.
Felt cherry Natalie
Powerful tall shrub up to 1.8 meters with a yield of 9 kg per plant. The dark red, slightly pubescent fruits of the Natalie felt cherry variety reach a weight of 4 grams. Berries with red juicy flesh have a harmonious sweet-sour taste. Harvest ripens in mid-July.
Felted Cherry Variety Spark
With a height of up to 2.2 meters, a bush of this grade of felted cherry looks compact and not too thick inside. Red, with thin skin and dense sourish-sweet pulp weigh 2.5-4 grams and ripen in the interval from 18 to 26 July. According to the description of varieties of felt cherry Spark needs regular watering, otherwise the plants can lose the crop, or the berry will be shallow and less juicy. The frost resistance of shrubs is satisfactory.
Felt cherry Oceanskaya Virovskaya
By the end of July, it is time to harvest from the bushes of cherry bushes Oceanskaya Virovskaya. Plants up to 1.8 meters tall produce up to 9 kg of red oval berries weighing up to 3.6 grams. The taste of the fruit is harmonious, with a low content of acids. In spite of the fact that the pulp is dense and juicy, it is not recommended to transport the fruits of universal purpose.
Felted Cherry Variety for Children
Shrubs over one and a half meters high have a wide average crown density. The collection of ripening bright red berries is carried out after mid-July. The fruit with a fine pubescent skin weighs about 3.5 grams and has an excellent taste with pronounced sweetness and a slight sourness. Up to 10 kg of berries can be harvested from an adult bush. Plants are self-productive and need pollinators.
Description and photo of felt varieties of summer cherries
In the ancestors of cherries, Summer, created by Far Eastern breeders, means a different culture - sand or bush cherry. But it is only possible to learn about this from the description; it is difficult to see signs of hybridization in the photo of the felt cherry variety. From sand cherries, the plant got a slow growth, especially evident in the first years after planting. Light, with uneven red color, the fruits are quite large and have a mass of up to 3.3 grams. The flesh is thick, fresh. Ripening of berries occurs at the end of July, and then they can remain on the branches for almost a month. If the crop is harvested, it must be recycled immediately. Winter hardiness of plants is average. Adult bush gives up to 8 kg of berries.
Felt cherry Pink yield
Spreading medium sized bushes of this variety can withstand up to 9.5 kg of pink-red round berries. The taste of the fruit is balanced, with a predominance of sweetness. The average weight is 3 grams. Mass crop is harvested in the second half of July. The frost resistance of the variety is satisfactory, the plants do not tolerate an excess of moisture.
Description and photo of felt varieties of East-Smuglyanka varieties
In the second half of July, it is time to harvest crops from felt varieties of East-Smuglyanka varieties. With short, only 1.2 meters tall bushes can collect up to 7 kg of fleshy maroon berries with an average weight of 2.5 grams. The flesh of the fruit is tender, juicy, rich red. Plants are winter hardy and can be used as a variety of felt cherries for the Urals and Leningrad region. Fruit in the form of a graft graft.
Felt cherry varieties Vostorg
Thick one and a half meter bushes require compulsory shaping and, with good care, are capable of producing more than 9 kg of fresh large berries. Fruits with bright red skin and the same pulp have a mass of up to 3.5 grams and have a balanced sweet taste. Mass harvesting is carried out from 10 to 20 July.
Felted Cherry Variety Jubilee
The hardy, winter-hardy bushes of this variety of felt cherry for the Moscow region reach a height of 1.7 meters and withstand a load of 9 kg of berries. The fruits weigh about 3.5 grams, have a good dessert taste and a beautiful appearance. Mass ripening of berries falls on the period from 10 to 26 July. The variety is not afraid of drought, but with a lack of moisture, the fruits noticeably become shallow.
Felt cherry variety Amurka
Power plants with a fairly rare culture for the crown of the bushes of this variety tolerate harsh winters, but can not stand the excess moisture. Ripening large, weighing more than 2.7 grams of berries begins in the second half of summer. The fruits are very tight on the branches, have a bright color, juicy flesh with burgundy hue and a wonderful dessert taste. The variety has record yield, with proper care, reaching 14.5 kg from an adult plant.
When purchasing seedlings of this fruit crop, you should not believe the stories that a particular grade of felt cherry is self-fruited. All varieties of this plant entered in the State Register need pollinators, so the gardener should not be limited to planting one bush. At best, the harvest from it will be one hundredth of the possible volume of berries. For better pollination, shrubs are planted at a distance of 2–3 meters, while not forgetting pruning and thinning the crown.
